Gamecube Portable

[Incompl]

Just like the title says, I'm going to make a Gamecube Portable. I've already got a guide on managing the Gamecube itself, as well as the controllers, but I honestly don't know too much about powering it, being completely new to electronics and hardware.

So, since I don't know too much about this, I'm going to list all the details I know. I want to both power the Gamecube itself, a small 6" to 7" LCD module for the screen, and a small LED light to show that it's on, all using a rechargeable battery.

On the back of the Gamecube, it says it need DC 12V 39W, and the screen will probably be 12~24VDC @ 600MA. I don't know about the LED light and its power requirements, though it's likely that it would not take that much. As for the rechargeable battery, I don't know what would be able to power it all for about three hours or so on a full charge. I'm going to ask if 12V DC 1800mA could.

So, what would be the best power source for all this is, and if you could please explain why? Also, how could I wire it in a functioning way that I likely would not break anything? If any of my information is wrong or doesn't make sense, please tell me. Thanks.

 

[RMMM]

I would look into laptop batteries.

 

[Incompl]

Well, I don't know much about the voltages, so what size battery (e.g. 12V, 24V, etc.) would be able to run all that for at least three hours on a full charge?

 

[4pyros]

I would look into laptop batteries.

Thay may be expensive and need special chargers. Just use standerd 12 volt SLA batterys and charger.

 

[cr0sh]

First, see here:

Calculations voltage current resistance and electric power calculator - electricity calculation - electrical power formula general ohms law physics electricity electronics formula wheel formulas amps watts volts ohms cosine equation audio engineering

P=I*V, so 12V @ 39W = 3.25A (3250 mA), plus 600 mA - let's just round that to 4A @ 12V for your power needs. Now, if you had a 4 amp-hour (Ah) 12 VDC battery, you could pull 4 amps for 1 hour, or 1 amp for 4 hours. You need to pull 4 amps for 3 hours, so you need a 12 amp-hour battery.

A 12 volt, 12 aH SLA is going to be a bit on the large side; it will weigh about 8 pounds - ex:

**broken link removed**

I think the only way you have any hope of really making this portable is to:

a) revise your run-time
b) drop the idea of battery power
c) use a LiPo battery and charger

I'd seriously look into "a" or "b" first - "c" is waaay outside your level of current understanding, and would likely lead to an explosion and fire...

 

[Incompl]

All right, well I took a look at a lithium battery guide, and it seems slightly dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. I'd rather not catch on fire or get poisoned or anything, thanks.

Anyway, I think that I'm going to have to lower the run-time, since removing battery power would kind of kill the "portable" part of it. I found a few 12V 8AH that are pretty cheap and not quite as large. So, now there's the matter of wiring it. Please refer to my very crude diagram below:

**broken link removed**

If anything is horribly wrong in my bad diagram, or simply could be changed for the better, please tell me. Should I use the series or parallel circuit, or does it really matter at all? Obviously above there still needs to be switches or else it will permanently be on. So, which circuit is better, where would I put the switches, and where would an LED light that shows it being on go? Thanks, and I hope my ugly diagram made you laugh.

 

[cr0sh]

The right-side diagram is your best bet; loads should be paralleled to the battery. If you want a single switch, put it in-line after the battery, before the LCD on the positive side; you might want to add an extra fuse prior to the switch (the GameCube likely has its own fuse, not sure about the LCD - but add an extra fuse just to be safe - a 5A fuse would probably work OK). As far as the LED light is concerned, you could just place that after the switch, from the positive rail to the negative (ground) rail; add a current limit resistor prior to the LED (I can't tell you what the value would be @ 12V, it will depend on the current requirements and forward voltage of the LED - there are calculators online for it, like here: LED Resistor Calculator).

 

[Incompl]

So then would this seem more appropriate:

**broken link removed**

I added a few things to the diagram. Is there any special type of wire I should use or would any electrical wire be fine? I'm making a checklist of items to get, and so far I have:
1 GameCube
At least 1, likely 2 GameCube controllers
1 Miniature LED light
1 5A fuse
1 Switch of some sort
1 SLA 12V 8AH battery
1 Composite video LCD module
Some small speakers
Video and audio cables
A lot of wire

I already have tools for it (different screwdrivers, soldering iron, pliers, etc.), so would there be any additional items I would need in order to make this? Help is much appreciated.

 

[cr0sh]

That diagram looks correct; as far as wire is concerned, you would want to use the proper gauge for the current being carried, of course:

American Wire Gauge table and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits with skin depth frequencies

In that table, you would be looking at "chassis wiring gauge"; so for the max amps needed (about 5A), 22 gauge would work. For your initial prototype/test, the tools you have should be OK. Once you have things working at the prototype level, that's where you'll have to come up with a way to build it into a portable case. That's waaay beyond the scope of this forum (and I wouldn't know anything about that kind of stuff - that's serious case-modder and design action there).

 

[Incompl]

Once you have things working at the prototype level, that's where you'll have to come up with a way to build it into a portable case. That's waaay beyond the scope of this forum (and I wouldn't know anything about that kind of stuff - that's serious case-modder and design action there).

Haha, yeah. I'm not going to worry about the case for quite a while. As for now, I think I'll just stick with building a prototype. I currently have a special screwdriver in the mail to open the safety screws on the GameCube, since the pen trick didn't work well for me. It's likely going to take like two weeks to arrive, so when it does and I get my GameCube opened, I'll post more questions using this thread, rather than making a new one. Thanks for your help.

 

[carmusic]

dont put below 18 awg, at 5 amp 22 awg will become extremely hot! Chassis wire awg is for wires without insulation

 

[Incompl]

dont put below 18 awg, at 5 amp 22 awg will become extremely hot! Chassis wire awg is for wires without insulation

So if I'm getting insulated wire, like this:
**broken link removed**
...it should be fine?

 

[4pyros]

So if I'm getting insulated wire, like this:

Yes I would use 16 gage Red and Black for power hook ups. Your LED can be wired with some smaller scrap stuff if you would like. Andy

 

[cr0sh]

dont put below 18 awg, at 5 amp 22 awg will become extremely hot! Chassis wire awg is for wires without insulation

Chassis wiring AWG is for short runs (ie, transmission of power/signals within a device), where is power-transmission AWG is a spec for longer distances (over several feet). In other words, you can carry more current over a short distance with smaller wire gauge (ohms-per-foot). Since this was all supposed to be within a "handheld" device where the wire distances should be less than a foot in length, I figured you could likely get away with a smaller gauge wiring.

I'd try it on the prototype (just keep the lengths short), and see what happens. Worst case scenario, you would get melted insulation and maybe some smoke (keep a fire extinguisher handy). I sincerely doubt that would happen, though (except in the case of a direct short) - provided the wire lengths are kept short. Also note that "5A" was an "upper-end" estimate - I also doubt the entire system will pull that much; based on the current specs he gave, the system is under 4A maximum.

 

[Dr_Doggy]

you dont need to open game cube if it inputs 12dc, just buy a cable jack for it, or cut the wire off of(or splice in to) your AC-DC converter

 

[Incompl]

Well, the screwdriver came really early, meaning earlier today. I'm not going to have a whole lot of time to work on it, but I did manage to pry open my GameCube. I'm currently having trouble removing ports from the motherboard. The ports that need to be removed are:
**broken link removed**
Is there anyway that I could safely remove them without damaging the motherboard? I need them removed in order to make it more compact. I would be using wires instead of the ports to connect things, like the regulator board to the motherboard.

 

[RMMM]

This is one of those cases where a hammer would not be the best choice.



Likely, if the connectors are not screwed down, they may be soldered in.

Through hole pins, or simply structural support tabs.

You are going to have to use some imagination. BE SURE to PHOTOGRAPH and DOCUMENT what wires go where.

If you pull the connectors off, you can replace them with standard ribbon cable, but you MUST be sure you get the wiring correct.

1 wrong wire and "poof" you just made a GameCube PaperWeight